The ASCA Spacecraft, Launch and Orbit

The Spacecraft

The ASCA spacecraft was built by NEC under contract to the Institute of
Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). It was three-axis stabilized, and
weighed 420 kg.

The Launch and Orbit

ASCA was launched on February 20, 1993 from Kagoshima Space Center in Japan on
an ISAS M-3S-II solid-fuel rocket. The rocket placed the satellite into an
orbit of inclination 31.5 degrees, an altitude ranging between 500 and 600 km, and a period of 95 minutes.